President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island June 12, 2018, in Singapore. (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)
"I know him better than you do," Trump said. "I know him better than anybody almost, other than his sister. His sister knows him pretty well. No, I know him well. And I got along with him. You know, I'm not supposed to say I really like him a lot because if I do that, I get killed in the fake news media. But I got along with him very well."
Denuclearization talks with Kim crumbled during Trump’s first administration when the president refused to get on board with Kim’s request for sanctions relief, in exchange for shuttering North Korea’s primary nuclear complex.
While the current Trump administration has signaled ongoing interest in renewing denuclearization talks with North Korea, Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong said in July that pressure from the White House for North Korea to denuclearize would be interpreted as "nothing but a mockery."
TRUMP REMAINS 'RECEPTIVE' TO DIALOGUE WITH KIM JONG UN DESPITE REPORTED LETTER SNUB
President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un take a walk after their first meeting at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi hotel, Feb. 28, 2019, in Hanoi. (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)
"WHAT IS GOING ON IN SOUTH KOREA? Seems like a Purge or Revolution. We can’t have that and do business there," Trump said in a social media post on Monday morning.
Trump told reporters Monday morning his statements stemmed from media reports about raids on churches and on Osan Air Base in July. He told reporters he wasn’t sure how accurate the media reports were, but that he’d question Lee on the matter because he wouldn’t "stand for that."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-touts-kim-jong-un-relationship-amid-south-korea-summit